by: the Common Constitutionalist

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As was promised, the Trump administration has begun the task of gutting the EPA. Trump is doing whatever he can to remove the jackboot of the agency from the throats of industry and frankly all Americans.

And it’s about time. Other than the IRS, I can think of no government agency or department which wields more power, and uses it almost exclusively to abuse the American private sector.

So when Trump announced that he would drastically cut back the authority of the EPA, many of cautiously cheered. I say cautiously, because experience tells us to be weary of campaign promises. Yet, at least as far as the EPA and the whole myth of man-caused climate change are concerned, he appears to be keeping his word.

In March, the Independent woefully reported that the word ‘Science’ disappeared from the “Environmental Protection Agency office’s mission statement. The EPA once proudly told visitors that a large part of its work was scientific research to help improve the climate and the environment. But those references have since been removed and replaced with a reference to things that are ‘economically and technologically achievable.’”

Well that is good news, for as we know, it has been quite some time, if ever, that the EPA had anything to do with science. Rather the government agency should have long ago been classified as a church, due to its almost singular focus on the religion of global warming. And wouldn’t that be the ultimate irony, considering the left’s irrational fear of the separation of Church and State. read more

by: the Common Constitutionalist

The Republicans are coming! The Republicans are coming! Such is the cry echoing through the halls of the White House and offices of Obama’s unelected regulatory bureaucrats.

Now that Donald Trump has vanquished Hillary and the Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate, reports are that Obama is set to ram through 98 additional Executive actions and regulations, also known as “Midnight Actions,” before leaving office. I’m shocked…that it’s only 98.

“Federal agencies are rushing out a final volley of executive actions in the last two months of Barack Obama’s presidency, despite warnings from Republicans in Congress and the reality that Donald Trump will have the power to erase much of their handiwork after Jan. 20,” reports the Politico. read more

Trump Will Just be a Better Dictator than Obama

For years we on the right have called Obama a want-to-be dictator – mainly due to his usurpation of the legislative branch through his reckless and unconstitutional use of executive orders. It seems that practically every month we discover Obama is doing another end around Congress, because, as he says, we just can’t wait for them.

So instead of living with the reality of his office and the limitations the Constitution places on the executive, he writes legislation with the stroke of his pen. It’s outrageous and possibly the No. 1 complaint Republicans have of our current president.

We all know, regardless of intention, this is not the way the founders set things up. This is truly the stuff of dictators. Even the king of England at the time of the American Revolution didn’t have such power over the British Parliament. read more

In this episode, I discuss the two recent terror attacks by ISIS and al-Qaeda in Paris and Mali respectively. Yes, it’s the Jihad Olympics and the two major competitors are the aforementioned ISIS and a resurging al-Qaeda, both vying for the Gold Medal. A Gold Medal performance will be determined by the severity of attacks on the United States – Silver for Europe and other Western nations and Bronze for less significant targets. This competition between the two terror groups may get ugly and that’s bad news for the rest of us.

And, are the Obamas house hunting in Washington D.C. yet? While most presidents happily sail off into the sunset to lead lives of relative anonymity, this president will remain in D.C. to agitate against the next Executive. It’s what he was trained to do and neither he, nor the media will sit by quietly and let his successor undo any of his disastrous policies or Executive Orders. read more

Right off the bat we see the apparent bias that is rampant throughout virtually all media. Did you notice the articles title is missing a very important component – the word illegal? This is all too typical – and frankly I’m not sure if it’s bias or just lazy reporting, or both.

I recently wrote that promotion leads to tolerance, tolerance leads to acceptance and acceptance leads to equality. Lazy reporting and advocacy has led to illegal immigration equaling immigration. There seems to be no more distinction. Okay, back to the article.

The Journal article pertains to a lawsuit that “roughly 3 dozen immigrants” filed in Georgia state court, asking a judge to grant them in-state tuition.

These young “immigrants” are children of illegal aliens. So therefore, they themselves are also in the U.S. illegally. read more

The search for immediate results, instant gratification, is everywhere in our society. It has permeated every facet of our lives from professional to personal to political.

Electronic media is a perfect example. Twitter, in my opinion, has become exactly what I thought it would be, a platform for the stupid. It is the epitome of the instant gratification society.

I’m not a fuddy-duddy, unless you ask my children. I just know “you can’t always get what you want” (Rolling Stones) in the time frame you desire.

And thus it is also in politics. How many times have we heard Obama say “we’re out of time” or “we don’t have time for Congress to debate this” or “we must act for the good of the…” fill in the blank. And then he signs and anticonstitutional executive order.

Speaking of executive orders, you may have noticed the president and his people no longer use the term executive order. It is now “Executive Action”, for he is a man of action and action gives us… you got it, instant gratification.

The Republicans are not immune from this disease, except when it comes to taking a stand on or for something. Then we can wait until next time, like the debt ceiling, or a budget battle, etc. But when it comes to things like amnesty, we can’t wait.

Never mind looking down the road to see how it will destroy what so many have fought and died for. No, we must win the next election and nothing else matters.

It seems we no longer need men (and women) of thought and deliberation. No, we need “Men of Action”, who can’t get something done now.

As I stated, many have fallen prey to this myopic approach to life and politics, even real conservatives whom I respect and trust.

I am speaking of the desperate need some have to cling to a party that clearly has abandoned us. Rush Limbaugh has on so many occasions excoriated people for even positing the notion of a third-party. He has always stated that the party can only be fixed, as was Reagan’s view, from the inside.

Well, as controversial as this may be, I believe that portion of the era of Reagan to be over.

Limbaugh insists, as do many others, we don’t stand a chance if we form a third-party. With an attitude like that, I agree. He’s right though; there may not be the instant gratification of an election victory right around the corner. So what!

At this point, are we not beyond that? Presently, I’m going to guess there are maybe 15 to 25 constitutional conservative Republicans within both Houses. That’s maybe 25 out of 535. Pitiful! And it’s crystal clear that the Republican leadership despises them (and us) more than Al Qaeda.

So again, what are we supposed to do? Just go along to get along? That’s no longer an option.

It’s time to begin doing what is right for our country, our children, because it’s the right thing to do. Let’s stop worrying about just winning the next election. With few exceptions, we all see where that has gotten us.

As a result of the Newtown Connecticut shootings more and more Statists in local, state and federal government are not asking but demanding knee-jerk measures to control what they classify as “Gun Violence”.

As you read this or any article, listen to the radio or watch television; always remember the language shifts that the left employees. In this case it is no longer gun control, but is now gun violence, because no one could ever be in favor of gun violence.

Many states like New York have enacted far-reaching gun restrictions on their law-abiding citizens and by now most of heard or seen the ranting of that dopey police chief from Emeryville California, Ken James. In a recent press conference chief James exclaimed, “One issue that boggles my mind is that the idea that a gun is a defensive weapon. That is a myth. A gun is not a defensive weapon. A gun is an offensive weapon used to intimidate and show power. Police officers don’t carry a gun as a defensive weapon to defend themselves or their other officers. They carry a gun to be able to do their job in a safe and effective manner and face oppositions we may come upon.”

So chief James, when a police officer somehow finds him or herself in a threatening situation and he/she draws their weapon, it is not to defend themselves or others? That’s just inane on its face and you sir, are a moron. Is the California police Creed not to protect and serve but to intimidate and show power? Nice motto.

California has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation yet they are pushing a new massive gun control package. California Senate President pro tem, Democrat Darrell Steinberg said, “We can save lives” in defending the package. He continued, “If it was a defensive measure why did we lose 55 officers nationwide last year to gun violence? We are asking and have been asking for reasonable regulations, not that are going to impact the legal gun owner.”

First, notice the injection of the new buzzword “gun violence”. Second, who else would it “impact” you idiot; the criminals? Criminals don’t obey the law or regulations. That’s what makes them criminals.

Although it is completely misguided and anathema to the Constitution, I understand why states such as New York and California enact ridiculous laws and regulations to control their populations. These states are controlled and run by Statists and do-gooders. They don’t feel we citizens can live our lives without constant guidance and dictates from our overseers. I was surprised when hearing that Missouri was jumping onto the gun-grab train.

In the most brazen attempt yet, Missouri Democrats introduced a retroactive anti-gun bill. If passed Missouri residents will have 90 days to turn in their guns. The bill reads in part, “any person who, prior to the effective date of this law, was legally in possession of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine shall have 90 days from such effective date to do any of the following without being subject to prosecution. 1) Remove the assault weapon or large capacity magazine from the state of Missouri; 2) render the assault weapon permanently inoperable; 3) surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to the appropriate law enforcement agency for destruction, subject to specific agency regulations. 4) Unlawful manufacture, import, possession, purchase, sale, or transfer of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine is a class C felony.”

So essentially the law would turn a law-abiding gun owner today, into a potential felon tomorrow. And it won’t be long before the feds mimic the states actions; but it will be worse.

I believe that national gun-grab legislation will be proposed, but will either be severely watered down or rejected outright. Both Congressman and Senators understand that most of the voting public won’t stand for it.

So, in will step Herr Obama and prove that the pen is mightier than the sword or the gun. With an executive order, he will begin the confiscation of all weapons. Yes I did say all weapons. Oh, it will begin with something similar to the Missouri proposal. You know, just turn in your scary guns. It will not; I repeat, will not end there.

How could he do such a thing? He could never think to get away with it, you say. Well, we haven’t been in the way back machine a while. Buckle up Sherman. Flipped the switch Mr. Peabody. Set it for the gold confiscation of 1933.

Just a few short months after winning election in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 and an improved version in August of ‘33, order 6260, making it illegal, with few exceptions, for a private citizen to own or possess gold. Of course, they didn’t describe it as just innocuously owning gold. They called it “hoarding”. And of course, “hoarding” is bad and only bad people hoard things.

Franklin’s decree (Executive Order) power came from, he said: “by the authority vested in me” and another mandate, the “National Emergency in Banking Relief and Trading with the Enemy Act” or War Powers Act. That hero of the left and all around good guy, Woodrow Wilson, decreed the War Powers Act.

The 1917 act was to “define, regulate and punish trading with the enemy, and for other purposes”. I love the addition of “for other purposes” which was never defined. How convenient. The war Powers act of 1917 did at least exclude citizens of the United States. The Roosevelt gold confiscation order of 1933, however,chnged the language to include “any person within the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof”. Suddenly, any citizen owning gold became an enemy of the United States government.

As an aside, you may notice a common clause inserted in the text of essentially every PEO (Presidential Executive Order). That is “by the authority vested in me…”, whether the president actually has the authority is of no account, as long as he says he does. Neat trick, eh.

This is the type of regulatory statism that is born of fear and hubris. Remember, no matter what the era, a progressive will always think the same way. Don’t let a crisis go to waste. In times of crisis, either real or fabricated, fascists in government can accomplish what they could never think to do without. The worst legislation and decrees always involve some sort of national crisis.

In 1933, we were suffering through the worst depression in our history. Fear of economic collapse was on everybody’s mind. A perfect time for a progressive “Administrator ” to grab the reins from the people and lead them into… The Great Depression! By confiscating the one thing that citizens had of intrinsic value, Roosevelt blew out the only candle of economic survival available to ordinary Americans struggling mightily during the dark days of the Depression.

And back to today. The lefts push of gun control into crisis is all too predictable for those who understand their M.O. They cannot allow this opportunity to go cold. They are striking as quickly and as forcefully as they are able. They understand if the crisis wanes, they will lose that window.

This is why I believe Obama will simply sign a PEO to begin the process of control and then confiscation of our guns. I would also bet my life that the PEO was written long ago, probably by someone like Cass Sunstein, along with many others, just sitting in a drawer somewhere, to be pulled out at the opportune moment.

Late last summer 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

What did the lawsuit pertain to, you may ask? Might it have been a workplace incident such as sexual harassment? Maybe they filed suit over unsafe working conditions or unfair advancement procedures. No? ICE works with illegal aliens and border security. It must be that they’re being forced to be too hard on and are trampling on the rights of undocumented would-be citizens. That’s not it either?

Simply put, the suit the agents filed against the DHS and the Obama administration is to just maintain their right to uphold the law.

If you recall, last summer, when Obama realized that the “Dream Act” legislation would fail to pass proper legislative muster, he simply did what any right-thinking monarch would do; write an executive order preventing the arrest and deportation of illegals under 30 years of age. It was amnesty by dictatorial Fiat and in practice would extend to all illegals other than violent offenders.

The ICE agents union president, Chris Crane, contends correctly, that the decree prevents agents from fulfilling their sworn oath to uphold the law and defend the United States Constitution; upholding laws such as the one passed in 1996 and signed by our first black president Bill Clinton, making it mandatory that all illegal aliens be deported.

Crane said, “The president’s Directive instructs ICE agents to refrain from placing certain aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States into removal procedures. The Directive further instructs officers to take actions to facilitate the granting of deferred action to aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States. It also directs DHS personnel to grant employment authorization to certain beneficiaries of the Directive.”

Mr. Crane further explains, “The directive commands our agents to violate federal law and our oaths to uphold federal law. We are federal law enforcement officers who are being ordered to break the law. This directive puts ICE agents and officers in a horrible position. This administration has engaged in a sustained, relentless effort to undermine America’s immigration laws.” Chris Crane knows of what he speaks, for he is not only the union president but also a veteran ICE agent. He has been on the front lines.

Former police commander David Scher added, “Sec. of Homeland security Janet Napolitano and her underlings want their agents and officers to just take the word of an illegal alien without verifying his or her statement. It is as ridiculous as releasing a suspected bank robber who states he didn’t commit the robbery without any verification by police officers.”

“The Directive is an extension of the DREAM act, which repeatedly failed to pass through Congress, and aims to grant an amnesty to 1.7 million illegal aliens,” said Chris Kobach, the attorney for the plaintiffs. “It violates federal immigration laws that require certain aliens to be placed in removal proceedings, it violates the Administration Procedure Act, and it encroaches upon the legislative powers of Congress as defined in Article I of the United States Constitution.”

Encroaches? It stomps all over the constitutionally mandated authority of the Congress to pass laws.

“Any threat of harm to our nation’s immigration officers for enforcing the law is a threat against the livelihoods of average American workers,” said Roy Beck of NumbersUSA. “Congress passes laws to determine how many and which citizens of other countries are allowed to enter U.S. job markets to compete with American workers. Fortunately during this long period of high unemployment, Congress has refused to add further competition through amnesties that would give millions of illegal aliens access to the legal U.S. job market. The Napolitano amnesty directive does the opposite. If immigration agents are not allowed to enforce the laws as decided by Congress, the wages and jobs of American workers are at risk.”

In my humble opinion, this is where we on the right get hung up. As with every issue, the left deals and pure emotion and we allow it. We permit the argument to be driven by the left and their emotional response to everything. They set the tone of the discussion and the right falls dutifully on the defensive.

Rather, the right or true constitutional conservatives must reject the premise and merely insist on upholding the guiding principles of this country.

It simply doesn’t matter whether the dictate is considered fair to workers and their jobs. The Constitution is quite clear on who makes the law and who simply signs it. Congress makes the law and the president is duty bound to uphold and forced the law, period. If they don’t like it, they may attempt to amend the Constitution, which is been done many times. This is what should be argued, and only this. Everything else is just window dressing.

After many months there is an update to this story. Recently, federal District Court Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the 10 agents and officers have standing to challenge Obama’s “Dream” decree in federal court.

There is something seriously wrong when federal agents have to go to court for the right to do their jobs and demand that they not be ordered to violate federal law.

With any luck, and strict constructionist judges, the agents will win the day.

(Editor’s note: The following commentary by Joseph Farah is a hypothetical scenario, but one all-too-believable given the anti-gun hysteria in the media and in the nation’s capital. It is offered in the spirit of what former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel once said: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”)

WASHINGTON – President Obama today issued a sweeping executive order banning the manufacture, sale and possession of all semi-automatic firearms in the U.S.

Obama cited for his authority for the action a national state of emergency that has been in effect ever since Sept. 11, 2001, and renewed annually by both President George W. Bush and Obama ever since. He also cited portions of the Patriot Act that suspend certain civil rights that remain classified.

The dramatic action by the president follows closely on the heels of the Newtown, Conn., massacre of 27 schoolchildren and teachers by Adam Lanza.

Gun-control advocates have been pushing for tighter gun control ever since the attack on the Sandy Hook Elementary School, the fourth mass shooting in the U.S. in 2012.

Yet the action was surprising because Obama vowed to present a detailed plan of action in January after naming Vice President Joe Biden to head a blue-ribbon panel including Cabinet members, law enforcement officials and various agencies of the government. Biden convened the first meeting of the panel only yesterday.

That’s how quickly it could happen.

That’s how liberty could be lost in America in one day.

For many, December 21st was the day the world was supposed to end, according to the Mayan calendar and other ancient documents.

It didn’t, of course. But a scenario like the above would certainly change the world in an instant. The last great hope for mankind and freedom could be turned upside-down in the name of national security and safety.

Americans would no longer be the masters of their government, as the founders intended. They would become subjects of their government, as most people in the world have been since the beginning of time.

It might seem implausible, unthinkable, far-fetched – even un-American and, of course, unconstitutional – but has anything like that that ever stopped Barack Obama before?

Am I suggesting this will happen?

No.

Am I suggesting it could happen?

Yes.

And that’s why I am putting it out there for the American people.

We are very, very close to seeing some draconian action in Washington on this specific action – the unalienable freedom that secures all the rest of our constitutionally guarded liberties.

It may come in a more conventional form – with some legislators who formerly supported gun rights – yielding to the political winds and media distortion sweeping the country.

But it might also happen in an unconventional and unexpected form – with an executive order. You might recall how Paul Begala, a top political adviser to former President Bill Clinton described executive orders: “Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Kinda cool.”

Obama wouldn’t be the first president to do an end-run around Congress to “make law.”

If I’m not scaring you yet, consider this: I am writing this column just minutes after getting a call from someone whose job it is to seek out reliable intelligence reports to protect people in the event of catastrophic events. He, in turn, had just talked to someone he described as a very reliable source who had worked in government and in the arms industry who had this normally calm, collected former military officer in a state of near panic because he was told this action could be announced quite soon.

Normally, that would be a little thin for me to go marching out to sound the alarm of this hypothetical scenario.

And then I found this – a real news story from Reuters published at 11:54 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 19: “The Obama administration will consider executive actions and specific proposals for legislation as part of its gun policy response to the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday (emphasis added).

“Holder, who has been a vocal proponent of a new ban on certain semiautomatic rifles, told reporters that a range of options need to be considered in the coming weeks.

“Those options will have to include a ‘strong and robust’ Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the chronically under-funded agency that enforces federal gun laws, he said.

“‘It’s clear that we need to do more,’ Holder said. He did not specifically call on Wednesday for a return of the assault weapon ban.”

Trust me when I tell you this: Something very bad for America is coming very soon.